US Patent 9309812 Internal combustion engine

In an internal combustion engine 20 that promotes combustion of fuel injected from an injector 50 to a combustion chamber 21 by way of electromagnetic wave plasma, a plurality of pieces of the electromagnetic wave plasma are generated respectively for a plurality of jet flows injected from the injector 50. A plurality of antennae 36 are provided respectively for a plurality of injection holes of the injector 50. Each antenna 36 is disposed on an exposed surface 46a of a piston 46 exposed to the combustion chamber 21 at a location corresponding to each injection hole 55. While the injector 50 injects fuel, each antenna 36 emits the electromagnetic wave to the combustion chamber 21, thereby generating the electromagnetic wave plasma.